Panchayat (Season 3)
Introduction
In a scene in the first season of Panchayat, you see the character of Jitendra Kumar getting into a brawl with the locals. And even as he finds himself with a gun in hand, instead of putting it to the regular use, he turns it and starts hitting his nemesis with it. That was the kind of innocence that you would associate with a show like Panchayat, which was drastically different from the other shows of TVF who are known for their share of predictable content. But since the first season, the world of Panchayat has evolved with the integration of some serious drama even while tactfully lacing it with comedy that has been drying up slowly but steadily. I could never forget the dark end that ended up being such an interesting creative decision to end the second season of Panchayat, simply because I did not quite see it coming. It made me uncannily feel for its characters particularly Prahlad(performed by a magnificent Faisal Malik) who absolutely bared his soul in the finale act. And hence, I was curious on how things would shape up in the third season of Panchayat wherein politics seemed to take centerstage atleast from its trailer. It was very clear that its world was evolving for the better or for the worse but we as viewers would also need to adapt our palate with the changing times. This no longer seemed to retain its innocence from the first season which was probably a natural progression of sorts even as it strayed away from its tone. So then, does the third season of Panchayat manage to impress, let’s find out.
Story & Screenplay
The third season of Panchayat picks up days after the second season had ended, wherein the folks of Phulera are in a quest to bring back their beloved ‘Sachiv ji’ amidst the game of politics, power and one-upmanship which eventually takes centerstage. The story here introduces a slightly more serious tone in the drama, almost keeping comedy at bay and briefly allowing it to peep out every now and then. This was a dual edged sword that the writers were treading on, given that the tone of the drama still had to have the goofy innocence that is prevalent in the air of Phulera, even while balancing the drama with a serious tone of politics. I wouldn’t say that the writers were pitch perfect with their writing but it was definitely a conscious effort to transition this drama into a ‘Mirzapur lite’ kind of a world. The screenplay standing at 8 episodes ranging from 30 odd to 50 odd minutes are definitely breezy and do manage to hold your attention right throughout. But if you are going in with an expectation of a comedy then the drama here is bound to surprise you. The best way is to treat this as a satire even as the tone of the drama is much more serious this time around.
The drama begins with the reintroduction of all the principal characters with the character of Abhishek finding himself in a city, even as his buddies of Phulera look to bring him back by almost ignoring the requests of the new village chancellor. This, as the politics and the power game featuring a local MLA is slowly beginning to simmer in the background, even as Abhishek returns to his original position. But what interested me was also the characterization particularly after the heavy handed finale of the previous season. There is an emotional thread connecting the two seasons wherein most characters are silently grappling with their fate and loss, particularly Prahlad who is shown to be disinterested and depressed yet extremely loyal to his clan. This is true even for Pradhanji and Vikas, both of whom are happy to take a backseat even as decisions are rolled out by Pradhanji’s wife, Manju Devi. And what begins in a similar lighthearted tone, slowly begins to address issues at the grassroot level while also focusing on the politics revolving around it.
The proceedings are engaging but the writing still ain’t as sharp as the previous two seasons. And come to think of it, this may well be a conscious decision of transforming this epic show onto a serious path. Hence, the comedy here is subtle and almost played out as an undercurrent, allowing the politics of the land to take centerstage. This includes an issue related to the house allotment of the east and the west of Phulera which becomes a talking point for Bhushan and his gang against the Pradhan and his clan. The issue escalates even as battle lines are drawn out. But the comedy flavour in the second act is also a little more pronounced along with a budding love story that is sweet and simple to witness.
One of the USPs of the last season was the multiple bonding sessions of the gang of four, something that I did tend to miss here. Yet, there was a heartwarming scene involving the four folks of the Panchayat chilling one evening(and the only time in this season) wherein you see Prahlad smile for the first time. And that was the heartwarming highlight while also being an emotional takeaway for me. There is also a nice little recall factor involving a character from the first season, returning and eventually having a truce with Abhishek which was also a nice little moment. But amidst this, the drama has a very serious tone with its proceedings even as the game of one-upmanship and politics is on the rise. This escalates into an intriguing face-off even as tempers flair until better sense prevails. But the 20 minute setup for the next season enters a rather dark territory which was unexpected and spinning off a different flavour, or rather a path which may change the course of the show, for the better or for the worse(we shall see). Overall, the screenplay is pretty well written but somewhere I did miss the innocence of the previous seasons in a world that is fast turning into something that I did not expect(again unsure at this point if it is for the better or worse, we shall see).
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are pretty well written and in sync with the mood of the drama that oscillates between a serious political flavour to a comedy. The one-liners though will make you chuckle and that was a plus. The music is excellent while the notes do give it an earthy touch. Also, it was a pleasure listening to Abhijeet croon away a number that instantly triggered a sense of nostalgia(typical of TVF to tap into this territory). The BGM is light and frothy, and one of the major factors in keeping the seriousness of the drama in check. It is almost as of the BGM does dictate the terms by keeping the writing firmly grounded in reality as opposed to allowing it to drift in the Mirzapur territory. The cinematography is quite good capturing the landscapes of Phulera with a sense of purpose that gives the show an earthy flavour. This, while some of the midshots help you gauge the traits of the character pretty well. The editing is crisp and sharp, and I didn’t feel any sense of a lag at any point in the drama which was a huge positive. Director Deepak Kumar Mishra yet again proves his mettle as a filmmaker by controlling the proceedings and always creating situations for the characters to react to. His sense of the world that he had previously created is pretty accurate, and that definitely helps the cause here even as he ambitiously tries to gradually shift the proceedings towards a serious tone. This could have derailed the show if not for experienced hands, and Deepak comes to the fore rather well here wherein the direction is brilliant.
Performances
The performances are phenomenal by the ensemble cast(although a part of me did think that there were lots of characters this time around that shifted focus from the principal ones). Kirandeep Kaur Sran as Chitra, Vinod Suryavanshi, Saad Bilgrami as Aditya Kalyani Khatri, Abha Sharma and Vishal Yadav as Jagmohan all are prolific actors and have their moments to shine. Amit Kumar Maurya as Bambahadur is such a natural onscreen in a job well done as is Gaurav Singh as Chottan who is quite good in his part. Asif Khan as Ganesh from season 1(of ‘Gazab Bezzatti’ fame😂) makes a hilarious comeback and he definitely ends up as an endearing character. Aanchal Tiwari as Raveena has a good screen presence in a job done really well. Tripti Sahu as Khushbu also makes her presence felt although I did feel that her track was left hanging at the end. Sunita Rajwar as Kranti Devi, Ashok Pathak as Binod(dekh raha hai na) and Bulloo Kumar as Madhav are hilarious to the core in what was a splendid job done overall.
Durgesh Kumar as Bhushan is vily and calculating and is mostly at the center of a conflict triggering issues, some which exist and the others that don’t. And he does a swell job here. Sanvikaa as Rinki has a pleasant personality onscreen and she does a pretty good job. The softness that she brings forth coupled with a playful energy was a sight in itself. Pankaj Jha as the MLA Chandrakishor is brilliant to the core. His act is conniving yet also on the forefront towards the backend of the drama, and he emotes brilliantly with his character. In a scene, you see his emotional side too, patting his horse before parting with it, making me conflicted on whether he had actually killed a dog for which he was convicted😅. But overall, a great performance, this.
Chandan Roy as Vikas is sincere and earnest in a job well done although I did feel that his character was a touch underwritten this time. Raghubir Yadav as Pradhanji takes a backseat and offers a very well restrained performance. Neena Gupta as Manju Devi offers a certain sense of maturity to her character whether it is to take rational decisions that are contrary to the hasty ones by the men around her. And there is a certain sense of earnestness that makes her character really affable.
Jitendra Kumar as Abhishek aka Sachiv ji has also evolved in this world. His innocence has turned into confidence wherein you can definitely feel a vibe surrounding his character towards the folks around him. And needless to say that he delivers a brilliantly measured performance that holds true to his character. But my pick of the actors is Faisal Malik who is simply phenomenal to watch as Prahlad. His character has been carrying a huge emotional baggage to the point that he had to be shown as depressed. And the jolly ol’ bloke from the previous season has to be immensely understated, almost depressed to a point that he would refuse to care for the world around him. And Faisal does an impeccable job in being wonderfully understated while internalizing his pain, and coming across as a disconnected individual. The script did not quite offer him a closure but a mere respite, and this subtle bouts of happiness did not need to really stand out. And therein lay his brilliance of being self aware on how much is enough and emoting exactly that in limited quantity. This was indeed a towering act of the highest order.
Conclusion
The third season of Panchayat is the beginning of a serious political drama staged at the grassroot level with subtle bouts of comedy that is a departure from its previous seasons, tonally speaking. Yet with stellar performances, it does account for a pretty solid watch despite it being the weakest season amongst the three that are out, this far. Available on Amazon Prime.
